Author's Note: I know this is a spoiler but this is the chapter of Tracer having her baby, if it's not for you skip it, if it is read on. Also there is a POV switch here!

Thanks go to my reviewers: Pandora, KC99 (welcome to the board!), ASMF and JB

Chapter 4

Little Wonder

It's cold when I leave Eight and that means it's winter. I know that for certain as I see Joshua trees that border the entry between Eight and Five have flowered. Tracer will be on her last trimester by now.

And Peeta and Katniss should be heading on their tour as well.

I show my pass, being a Capitol citizen getting thru borders is a manner of just flashing my identity card.

I get to town late and I end in victor's village near eight at night.

Lights are on in both Tracker's and Tracer's houses. Mine are off and so are Hellen's, our old victors Cora Atwater and Gabriel Leviette stay in the Capitol a lot and we barely ever see them, Cora is in her mid to late thirties now and Gabriel is almost fifty.

I hear a phone ring, it's not cold enough to close windows yet so we all had the tendency to keep windows wide open and just use an extra blanket if we were cold.

I don't hear the conversation but what I do hear after sparks me into action.

Tracer crying out in pain.

Tracker races out his door with his housecoat on and slams right into me. We both land comically on our back until I get up and he looks at me. Shock apparent on his face.

"What's wrong?" I ask finally when he can't think of a single thing to say to me.

"Her water broke!" he says we don't need to say who 'her' he means.

Tracer has gone into labour.

I get up and help him up and nod.

"Well come on then!" I say and we race into Tracer's home.

We dash in, in reflex I start my jamming device that I keep in my jacket pocket. Tracker takes the lead.

"Trace! Where are you?!" he calls

"IN here!" she cries from the washroom. When we get there she is standing holding herself up by the counter and under her is a pool of water.

"I got you" he says wrapping a steadying arm around her waist, "let's get you into bed, where is Jack?"

"Pulling a double shift at the power plant he won't be back until tomorrow mid-day" she cries, it's then her eyes look up for a moment and realize there is another person in the room.

"You're here!" she reaches out for me and I come over

"And you're huge!" I tease and smile as she hugs me, "seems I came just in time"

"I was hoping you'd be here, Track said I was fooling myself" she looks on the verge of tears again.

"Like I could forget I have a nephew" I look at her, "you were due around this time right?"

She nods because another contraction had hit. Tracker rubs her shoulders. When it passes she starts to cry.

"Damn hormones" Tracker sighs, "easy Trace, you're doing fine"

"Where is Jack!" she cries out, "I want Jack!"

I chuckle as Tracker looks annoyed.

"What can I say?" I say as he looks at me as annoyed as he did his sister, "she wants hubby, maybe to blame him for putting her in this state?"

This makes Tracer laugh and then cry again. Talk about an emotional rollercoaster! I would have motion sickness from this ride.

"He's just her fiancé, they didn't tie the knot" Tracker says, "but let's face it my parents weren't officially married not until after I was born"

"Mine were wed prior to Seneca thank-you-very-much" I act smug

"How is he?" Tracer asks, "how is Seneca?"

"Let's focus on you giving birth first okay?" I tell her, not wanting to open that line of conversation until after her baby is born.

It seems the water breaking was a delayed catalyst. Tracer wails as a rough wave of a contraction hits her "don't ever get pregnant" she says when it ebbs away.

Tracker smirks, "I think seeing you go thru it is enough of a deterrent Trace" he says and gets a pillow thrown at him, "good aim!" he smiles, then runs to call the peacekeeper office so they can send the doctor, there is no way we are going to get her to move to a car or ambulance the baby is going to be born here in the bed that made it.

He comes up as we continue to talk.

I snort, "to be honest Trace I would need a boyfriend then husband first"

"None yet?" she looks at me sad

"No…" I say softly, "I did have a first kiss while I was…away?"

She smiles gently, its weak and she's tired, Tracker looks on curiously.

"I kicked the guy in the groin" I add , Tracker groans and Trace laughs then grabs my arm as a contraction hits, I look on concerned, I have never delivered a baby , not in my short time as an emergency doctor, I had seen pregnant women come in, wailing and crying but they are rushed up an elevator to maternity.

Two things I can say right now with reassuring my friend and quasi sister. 1) the contractions are getting much stronger and closer together, from what I remember reading in the books back in thirteen that means she will be going into active labour very soon, and 2) when she grips she grips really hard!

After a long a painful sounding contraction finally ebbs away I take initiative, "Track you have to get the doctor, I don't know how but he has to get here ten minutes ago!"

He nods and kisses Tracer on the temple, "I'll be fast" he says and runs back downstairs. I lay Tracer down on the bed properly and get towels from their linen cupboard. I arrange them on the bed under her and help her get her into a big nightgown.

"I feel so stupid" She says, "I'm not an-ah!" she stops mid sentence and groans turning her head into a pillow and groaning into it.

"Right now appreciate that you have someone here to wait on your beck and call Trace okay?" I raise an eyebrow at her when she calms as the contraction leaves again.

"God Ari distract me" she whines, "I can't take much more coddling"

I nod, "okay" and I get on the bed and have her lean against my legs to be in a semi sitting position, she puts her head back and I wipe her brow with a facecloth beside the bed, "shall I tell you what became of me after I disappeared the first time?"

"Please!" she says thru another contraction.

It take me a couple hours and we stop each time she has a contraction so she can breath thru it. I don't want her to push, as much as I know it's getting close to that time I am not in the right frame of mind to be the one delivering, seeing as I never did it. I know how in theory thru books, and I was lucky enough to see Doctor Makenzie deliver one before I left for the Capitol, a refugee ran from ten and managed to get to thirteen and she was almost full term when she got there.

Unfortunately my wish doesn't happen as Tracker comes back looking in shock with, to me, the worst news.

Doctor is busy, won't be able to help as two other ladies had gone into labour that same day. They really have bad timing. One of the women is a wife to a peacekeeper she's being monitored by the doctor and the other is being monitored by the midwife in a very tricky situation. There is no one else.

Tracker's POV

I can't read Tracer, she just looks tired and upset but that could mean anything.

Ariana on the other hand I can read and she isn't all happy. She is looking at Tracer in none to pleased way.

"We need a doctor" Tracer looks at me panicked

"No, really?" I say sarcastically which gets two identical glares; I have to remind myself that I have two girls that have won games from survival tactics and swordplay, where I just lured most of the other tributes into traps. "what can we do? There are no doctors at the moment"

Tracer is about to say something when she leans forward with her hands on he stomach, she cries in pain. I have nothing to help. I hate this!

"There is another doctor" Ariana swallows hard, "me"

Tracer looks at her, she can tell Ariana is not all that comfortable with the idea, "have you ever?" when the contraction lets go

"Only in books that's the problem" she says, "I…never…not even in Thirteen, I saw it done once, just never"

"Well seeing is part of doing" I speak up, "if you can adapt theory books into surviving in the arena and help Tracer thru her arena Ariana I am positive you can help here" I look at her trying to persuade her to do this, there is no other way right now.

It seems to do the trick I don't know if it's because I was her mentor and she trusts me or Tracer looking on the verge of crying again. "okay….I guess I can…Track there is a black bag just inside the front door bring it up"

I jump into action as Ariana goes to wash her hands.

The next few minutes between comforting my worried sister I am watching as Ariana focuses on the task at hand. She has to steel herself as he puts on sterile gloves because I am sure she never expected to look at Tracer in this position. Knees bent and legs apart getting ready to push her baby out.

I don't know if this is funny or serious, I mean she watched Maverick bleeding and almost die, she saw decaying body parts. Why is she squeamish about this?

"Trace I think you're almost ready to push, I want you to focus on your breathing and when a contraction hits you are going to use it to help force the baby out…" she doesn't know how to explain it, "like all your power is focused on your belly okay?"

Tracer seems to get the gist and breaths in and out in a steadying rhythm. In no time she has started to push as a contraction hits, almost instinctual because Ariana is nodding that this action is what she meant. Trace wails towards the end of it. It's very late and we've been up since this morning. All of us are exhausted but she is still managing. I just hope it doesn't take so long that we run into problems.

"Anything?" Tracer asks panting after.

"You only started pushing" Ariana tells her, "maybe in another two you will be crowning" she says, "after that happens it should sped up"

Trace flops back against the pillows crying.

"Can you do anything to help her along?" I ask

"No Track I can't" Ariana snaps at me, "I can't make this go faster"

"Leave her alone" Tracer warns me, "if I'm stressed I'm sure Ariana is-"

Of course she doesn't get to finish standing up for her because she uses a contraction to push again.

"Save your breath for this okay?" Ariana says, "Track I'm sorry for being short but this not the time to put doubt in my head"

"Right! Sorry, what can I do to help?" I ask

Three hours into pushing, as soon as I asked what I could do to help I am nestled behind my sister having her rest against my legs with a pillow cushioning her so she is semi sitting.

It seems to help and I wipe her brow. Around ten of these; what Ariana dubbed; 'active' contractions our young friend looks up and there is light in her eyes.

"Crowning" she says, "shouldn't be long"

"Thank god!" I proclaim and get a glare from Ariana, "sorry shutting up"

"Amen!" Tracer says she is exhausted and so is Ariana, I don't know how to thank her but one day I will repay my young victor for what she is doing for my sister.

It takes another fifteen contraction more or less, I don't know if that long or short but when Ariana says to stop for a moment and Tracer looks uncomfortable…or rather more uncomfortable than before and then Ariana says "one more push" I feel relief wash over me.

Tracer wails the last one out she has been holding it in crushing my hand instead. Dawn breaks as Ariana seems to be fussing with something then takes a small bulb, she is fussing again then we hear it.

A baby cry.

Tracer cries.

Ariana has tears pouring down her face silently.

Even I start crying.

"It's a boy" Ariana manages as she wraps the infant in a clean towel. "He looks healthy. Ten fingers ten toes" she adds as she hands the baby to Tracer, he is so small, he is crying until Tracer hushes him gently stroking his face with a finger.

"Already the consummate mother" I say, Tracer rolls her eyes at me and Ariana just looks relieved as she straightens out the towels and covers Tracer's legs with a blanket for the time being, I feel like such a novice with the girls. I kiss my sister on the top of her head while Ariana cleans up and tosses me a clean towel.

"I'll go make tea" I say to my young friend.

"God coffee with lots of sugar" she replies

Tracer is resting. Along with my nephew. We had a bassinet already for him. I headed downstairs not long after Ariana begged for coffee. She stayed upstairs with Trace for a bit longer then came downstairs. When Ariana finally comes down she looks completely spent, ashen faced and either going to pass out of throw up. It's funny and I let a small chuckle escape, she looks at me dazed, when her legs wobble I am beside her.

"You did great Ariana!" I reassure her leading her to the kitchen table.

"Keep telling me that" she says to me, "I feel like I ran a marathon and I'm not even the one that gave birth"

I let a chuckle bubble up again, it rumbles in my throat as I go to pour coffee. "well you did say it was your first ever delivery" she's quiet, "Ariana?" I look at the table and she has her head rested on her hands and has fallen asleep.

I bring her up to the spare room and tuck her in.

Coffee will have to wait.

Author's note #2: so why does Jack still work if he is engaged to Tracer? He's too proud to accept not earning a pay, they donate some of the money they both earn to the community home…thought I'd explain that part ;)